Machine for peeling tomatoes.



auwnkw Patented Jan. 1,191&.

2 BEETS-SHEET I. V

v A. 0. COOLEY, MACHINE FOR PEEUNG TOMATOES.

nrrucmon mcu IAI. 2a. m1.

2 swans-sneer 2.

Patented Ja n. 1, 1918.

n. ml

A 0 COOLEY MACHINE FOR FEELING TOMATOES. nrrucmon mid mm. 28. m2.

Chroma:

AMBROSE OLIVER COOLEY, OF HA VBE DE GRACE, MARYLAND.

macnmn FOR run-lime roma'rons.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

I Application filed March 28, 1917. Serial No. 157,994.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, A mnosn OLIVER CooLEY, a citizen of the Unlted States, residing at Havre de Grace, in the county of Harforcl and State of Maryland, have mvented a new and useful Machine for Peellng Tomatoes, of which the following 13 a specification.

This invention relates to machines for peeling tomatoes, one of the ob ects of the invention being to provide a simple and compact machine which will convey tomatoes, after being cored, to scoring knives of novel form which operate to cut the thin skin of each tomato into segments, after which said tomatoes are conveyed to a steaming, washing-and brushing a aratus so that the tomatoes are delivered ful y peeled, from one end of the apparatus.

A further object is to provide novel means for removing the skin from a tomato without requiring the use of any special mechanism such as gears or the like for operating the skin removing means.

\Vith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in vthe details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawingsr- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the machine, the middle portion thereof being removed.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on line 2--2 Fig. 1.

modified ets 2 on which is mounted an endless con veyer 3 which can be formed of a chain. Arranged on this conveyer at intervals are pins 4 extending perpendicularly from the conveyer and provided at. their free ends with fingers 5 projecting at right angles to the pins. Each of these fingers has a conical head 6 provided with small barbs or outstanding prongs 7.

conv or is mounted has a shaft 8 to which is secured an additional SPIOCKGt 9 designed to transmit motion through a chain 10 to a sprocket 11 secured to a shaft 12 which is iournaled on a standard 13. This shaft 12 Org; of the end sprockets 2 on which the against t e plate 16 with the eyes t ereof across the opening 17. By then pressing against the tomato so as to shift the plate 16 toward the standard 13, theeye portion of the tomato will be brought into contact with the blade 14 so that the tomato will thus be quickly and accurately cored;

Extending over the conveyer 3 at an intermediate point is a housing 19 having end openings 20 and 21 This housin contains a nozzle 22 in communication wit a. steam supply pipe 23. The nozzle is located above thepaths of the heads 6.

Arranged between the housing 19 and that end of the machine on which the coring mechanism is mounted, is a substantial] circular frame 24 upstanding from an extending transversely of the frame 1, the upper flight of the conve er being extended through this frame. xtending from the frame andtoward the housing are converging bowed spring arms 25 and arranged-at the free end of each. of these arms is a small cuttlng blade 26. Adjacent each of these blades is a bearing lug 27. Frame 24 is :80 positioned that when "one of the ,heads 6 passes therethrough, said head will be in line with the center of the frame and will-be equidistant from the blades 26.

Arranged between the housing 19 and the discharge end of the machine is another upstanding substantially circular frame 28 extending transversely of the frame 1. The upper flight of the conveyer 3 extends through this frame 28 and secured to the frame are converging spring arms 29 to the free end of each of which is secured a brush 30. These brushes are preferably arcuate as shown particularly in Fig. 2 and the heads 6 on the pins 4 are adapted to pass through the center of the opening in the frame 28 and also through the center of the circle normally defined by the brushes 30.

Located between the frame 28 and the housing 19 is a washing apparatus including a nozzle 31 supported above the paths of the heads 6 and connected to a supply pipe 32. This supply pipe has a 'valve 33 Which is normally closed and a crank arm 34 is conneoted to the valve and also to a rod 35 which is slidably mounted in suitable guides 36 provided therefor. This rod rests on a cam 37 secured to the shaft 38 of one of the sprockets 2. The parts are so timed that each time one of the pins 4 is brought to position adjacent the nozzle 31,tl1e cam 37 will shift the rod 35 so as to open valve 33 momentarily after which the valvewill be closed.

The sprocket 2 at that end of the frame 1 remote from the standard 13 is mounted on the drive shaft 38 of the apparatus and this drive shaft is also used to drive a chain 39 for operating a haft 40 mounted on a standard 41. This shaft 40 has a thrower arm 42 attached thereto and designed to engage successively the tomatoes on the heads 6 and to detach themtherefrom and discharge them from the machine.

In usin the machine, steam is admitted to the housing 19 and the tomatoes are placed on the coring apparatus as described. Each tomato is then placed on one of the heads 6, and it is.'to be understood that these heads will ,fit snugly into the recesses cut into to-v matoes and the tomatoes wil be held to the heads by the barbs or prongs 7. As each .tomato is brought to position in the frame 24 it will be pressed against the knives 26 and will be pushed past the knives thus causing the arms 25 to bend outwardly but at the same time press the knives into the tomato. The cars or lugs 27 will prevent the knives from cutting too deeply into the tomato and as a result, the incisions will be but slightly deeper than the thickness of the skin of the tomato. These knives will result in cutting the skin into egments. After the tomato leaves the knife it will pass through the opening 20 into the housing 19 where it will be thoroughly steamed, this resulting in loosening theskin from the pulp of the .to-

mate. As the tomato issues from thexopening 21 the valve of the Washing mechanism will be operated automatically and a stream of water directed onto the tomato so that for.

Importance is attached to the particular mounting of the blade 26 and the brushes 30, whereby the parts are caused to press firmly upon tomatoes of different sizes and will operate eflici'en'tly to cut the skin and to remove it from the tomato. If preferred, and as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the knives may be provided with arcuate edges. In said figures, one of the spring arms or supports has been indicated at 25 and said arm is provided at it;- free end with a segmental block 43-having a longitudinal slot 44 into which a segmental knife 45 extends. The arcuate edgeof the knife is sharpened and said knife can be detachably held in the block 43 by a transverse pin 46 or the like. Obviously, by providing a knife such as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, considerable rocking movement of the knife can take place without varylng. the depth-of the cut into carried by each ofthe members of the other series, and means for conveying a tomato bottom first against and past the knives and brushes successively.

2'. In a tomato peeling machine, the combination with spaced structures and a series of resilient members extending from each of said structures and converging ,along curved lines, of a scoring knife carried b each of the members of one series, a brus carried by each of the members of the other series, means for conveying a tomato bottomfirst against and past the knives and brushes successively, and a steaming housing interposed between said structures for the reception of a tomato passing from one structure to the other.

3. In a machine for peelin tomatoes, :1 structure having an opening t erein, resilient members extending from the structure and converging along curved lines, a cutting blade carried by .each' member, means on each member and adapted-to have a rolling engagement with the surface of a toeach hlale, and means for conveys amst said means lade made by ing a tomato bottom first a and the a 4 11i e mach structure having an opening t ent members and converging aving openconveyer exsupported skin each structure tomato, an saicl structures the engaged tomatoes; mato peeling machine, a supeach other,

arm, means porting structure, a sen extending therefrom and converging a. cutting bla 1e adjacent each blade for limit ng the depth of the mcision made us for directing a and conica members of one series, ried by each of th ries, means for conveyin a first against the scoringv ives successively, and a steaming housing 1 60 tween saidseries of members for the of a tomato passing irom one sothat I ve hereto afiixed my sigml the Igree'ience of two witnesses AM ROSE OLIVER COOLEY. Witness s; a

men E .-Grmsn-rs,

HmmrA. Osnonn,

as my own, ture 1!! claim the foregoing 5B 

